Meri frowned and moved closer to the figure, studying him closer before looking back at the entrance.

"Need some help over here" she called back to the others.  "I think Tybur has been keeping him locked in here to feed on, he's lost a lot of blood."

She looked towards the light and indicated it.
"Don't worry about this.  Just be careful not to touch it for now, I think this might be able to move the ship.  Though it does raise some other questions."
The last few words were murmured quietly to herself.


OOC: Hmm, not sure if getting bitten by a vampire in D&D also turns you into one like in some stories, or maybe that's only if it kills you?
Would that be Arcana or Dungeoneering to see if Meri knows that?

[Private to Nym: Heh, well a least I've reassured you that neither of those is my automatic 'of course hat's what's going on', and of course in the future that will entirely still be the case :p Especially when Nym starts going on about howof course everyone must be ,magical, right? :D]

Both of the gnomins made 'oooh' sounds regarding Ryn just popping in to existence, and both give a more speculative look to the two of them. Tithee reaches in to its various pockets, and pulls out something that looks like a feather. The feather is held aloft, and very slowly bends forwards towards Ryn and Nym, biased far more to Nym. It them gets very hot and bright and suddenly explodes in to motes of yellow and red that disappear in to nothing. This makes the two gnomins look at each other, mutter Hadar. The measuring gnomin then shrugs.

Nym's continued words on magic seem to be met with agreement, and they nod along. And then pause. And both look quizzacally to Nym, then each other. Something seems to occur to them, and they start speaking in a fast, high pitched twittering language between each other. Soosha mimes as if they has some tall, odd thing on their head. Tithee starts making strange movements, as if they were stiff legged and walking around awkwardly with their stiff arms outstretched. Soosha looks terrified and looks around.

Nym, making small gnomins think they are sharing their ship with the undead big humans since 2018.

It is at this point that Many decides to emerge from Nym's pocket. "Hey! Ah pop-eh'd too! Not now, buh bee-fore! Ah was in a warm an lih-teh place and then 'pop'. Big man filled with mah-jik made meh come out!"

Many gives a big grin to the surprised gnomins.


What's the world coming to when I can't have Nym mention plot stuff to people at innapropriate times :p


Down below, Farren acts first, coming over to help Meri, though very wary of the ball as he does so. The Captain still sort of loiters, clearly not wanting to get too close to either thing, yet also intigued as to how the ball of light might control his ship.

"So, is he...alive?" asks Farren, clearly seeing the man was moving and meaning something else with his words.


Yeah, Dungeoneering (or Religion) would be good. Arcana amazingly also works in general for this, so feel free to roll it too, but it would also absolutely not give you any answers to your specific questions right now :D

"Seems to be" replied Meri distractedly, looking over the light again.  "I think he'd only be turned if Tybur killed him by draining all of his blood.  Most likely he only kept him around as a food source."

She edged around the light towards the door again, looking to the Captain.
"Did Tybur ever hint at why he created this?  I can't help wondering why a vampire would need, or even want, a flying ship."

Nym didn't mention plot stuff, did she? She just talked about where Ryn came from, which is more of a personal thing.
Also, "undead big humans"? Who's undead? Or did you mean the vampire guy who just buggered off?

Nym watches the gnomins' strange discussion with an expression of amused curiosity, and seems about to speak when Many shows himself.

"Oh, hello Many!" she says cheerfully, and looks to the gnomins. "This is Many. He's my friend. Well, one of my friends. He's very clever and he's learning how to use his magic. One day I'm sure he'll be able to do lots and lots of really good things!"

Lol, I meant usually Nym says plot stuff to NPCs whenever she meets them, and this was the first time she hasn't. Right when it would be the perfectly evilest peple to! So yeah, Many giving it away instead is just me messing around, as you'll see the gnomins might have missed the significance of what was said.

As to the undead humans... Nym just said surely anyone without magic in them isn't alive. Or that could be extrapolated. Well, I can see why Nym feels that, but I daresay the human sailors and the Captain aren't magical at all in any way anyone could detect. Therefore, your new friends might be forgiven for suddenly being persuaded that The Captain and everyone else are really zombies or something :p Or at least entertaining the theory!


"'ello!" says Many to Nym, waving multiple eyestalks enthusiastically in her direction.

The gnomins have stopped speaking, and look startled at Many's appearance. They seemed to have missed the specifics of what he said, only picking up the broad strokes. "Ooh! You popped another ones! A little eye tyrant! Can you do it at will!" asks Soosha, partially scared and partially curious. She gives Many an odd litle wave too, and an attempt at a smile. One of Many's eyestalks happens to catch the movement, taps Many on the head, and Many turns around to give a smile in return.

Tithee scrambled back in to his pockets for his collection of spheres, as if to try and understand Many's size by comparing them to the little beholder.

Many giggles and wooshes over to the gnomin, rushing around the creature's head and making comparison impossible. "Ah'm mah-jick too! Nym-eh said! Nym-eh said! Ah'm mah-jick!"



Farren seems reassured, and tries to tend to the man as best as he can with his developing psychic skills. The man stirs while Meri is speaking to The Captain.

The Captain, for his part, still seems concerned and confused by the whole mess of things. "I mean, why does anyone rich do anything? They're just... eccentric, aren't they? Patronage and all that? I can't see why they wouldn't want to ..study magic...and foretelling the future... and helping out. Must be boring with nothing to do but have money? I would imagine? es, get the opportunity to live the life of the sea, but then add some floating to avoid storms and seasickness. Seemed..logical. Wait, did you says Tybur was a vampire?"


"Here," muttered the man in the corner, sort of turning his bleary face around to look towards The Captain and Meri. He squinted his eyes at the light from the sphere. "Why am I a lamb?" he asked, as if woken from a dream.


The lesson here, if you can follow along, is 'don't believe vampires when they tell you their names' :D

Ahh I see...well, Nym figures there is a little magic in everyone, even if it's just the faintest, untappable hint, because she can't imagine how life would be possible otherwise. But I see how that could be misconstrued, now you put it that way :D.

Nym giggles at the suggestion that she has somehow "spawned" Many.

"Oh, no no." she says. "I didn't make him - he was just in my pocket, that's all."

She holds her cloak slightly open so that a couple of the pockets can be seen, and points at them in case this is somehow not obvious.

"It must be handy being so small." she says. "It must make it very easy to fit into such small places!"

Meri had glanced back at the light while listening to the Captain, but looked back at him, seemingly puzzled at his question.
"Well I thought that was his name" she replied, clearly uncertain now.  "What did you call him?"

She looked towards the man on the floor as he spoke up.
"Unless this man is actually Tybur. Do you recognise him?"


OOC: It's becoming a bit of a tradition, having Nym freak out random NPCs ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:47, Wed 12 Sept 2018.

Tithee looks almost put out, and for a moment pauses to look in his own pockets to see if any of them conatin hitherto unknown beholders.

Soosha looks to Nym's ownpocket instead, then her eyeswidened. "It just goes on and on and on for always! For a long time! For a long....thing! What is that?"


Nym can freak out NPCs, but she can also distract them with shiny magic too, so it all works out.

The Captain shook his head. "I mean Tybur is...was..Tybur. This man...might have been around as a retainer? Or something? Don't really recognise him, but maybe a driver? Something?" The Captain sounded very uncerain.

he manon he floor was clearl sill no quie hearing whawas going on, jus perhaps recognising his. apaparenly - own name. "Yes, I'm awake!" he said, opening his eyes and looking around, blinking. He then seemed to notice the ball of light, and shrunk back,as if horrified.

"It's real!" he said. He looked to Meri with suspicion and confusion, then to Farren, who respectfully moved back. "Where's Gorriamand? What's happening?"

Sorry, what was that about freaking out NPCs? :p

"What's what?" asks Nym, looking between Soosha and the pocket. "Do you see something in there? I mean, that's probably because there's something in there. Well, lots of somethings. I keep stuff in my pockets - that's what they're for, after all. And Meri has some stuff in there too, sort of..."

OOC: Think I missed something about the names somewhere...


"Gorriamand?" repeated Meri thoughtfully, then shrugged and turned her attention back to the light.  "No idea, never heard of anyone by that name.  Unless you meant the creature who used you as his larder until recently."

She eyed the light for a moment longer, then looked back at the Captain.
"Ok, long and complicated story short, something happened three weeks ago, something that affected any magic within its range in strange ways.  Among other things, a wizard's familiar changed into something else, decorative butterflies made by an artificer came to life momentarily, a spell cast against a dryad backfired and cursed the caster, an old evil in the Blackwood returned to life, and a chunk of metal in my workshop eventually became a tiny beholder that led me to the source.  And apparently, your ship gained the ability to fly.
But, looking at this, the person who created this must have known the exact time this would happen, before it did.  Whoever or whatever he is, I think he needed your ship for some reason, needed it to be able to fly."

No, I think Meri the player and Meri the character should be pretty much as confused as each other right now. Basically, the vampire told you a name, the captain confirmed that was the name, and now someone else is answering to that name intead. And calling for someone with a different name...

The man who was answering to Tybur still seemed to be fading in and out, and so perhaps missed the comment regarding being fed on. Or it simply didn't register. The man kept looking to the light, still with fear.

Farren looked between everyone, and then knelt back close to the name - Tybur apparently. "Gorriamand? Was her a friend of yours?" Farren then went on to describe a person who, despite Meri having only seen him briefly, sounded exactly like the original Tybur.

Tybur nodded. "Yes, that's....that's Gorriamand. Friend? I...suppose. I... thought..." Tybur looked to the light again. "Meeting him is clear, but, ... later? I'm not sure what happened." He looked around, panicking again. "What happened? Where am I?" He looked to the light. "I remember that...thing. I remeber being pulled towards it, pushed against it so it held me there. It wanted me to remember..painful things. Or someone told me to think about them? I could feel them, being leeched from me, briefly.... I think..."

The Captain also looked as confused as Tybur, though answering Meri's question. "That sounds interesting? But...I do not know. He seemed to just want to help. We could go to the wheel, perhaps a touch early for main events of the wizard faires, but why not? And then onwards to the sevn cities and the seas! Well, I mean, I suppose that was the plan. He did once mention speaking to dwarves aswell, never understood that part."


Up on deck, Soosha was trying ot look at Nym's pockets from all angles. "It look like a tree! A big tree. No, a small tree. In your pocket. But not in your pocket. "

"Oh! Yes, it's in my pocket." says Nym, nodding and holding her pocket open wider so the gnomin can have a better look. "Meri put it there. I mean, it didn't start as a tree, it just sort of turned into one. It was more like a branch before, I suppose. Well, it was a staff that was kind of like a branch. And now it's a tree. I wonder what happens if it gets really big...I mean, maybe I'll have branches sticking out of my pockets or something..."

Meri nodded and glanced back at the light.
"This thing reflects the will of anyone interacting with it.  It reflected me when I looked at it just now, and I think it can affect its surroundings the same way, in this case the entire ship.  This may have been used to effectively will the ship to move, with the combined willpower of your crew upstairs handling smaller and more precise directional changes when needed."

She glanced towards the man on the floor, raising the clear stone to her eye once more and looking at him through it.
Then she looked back at the Captain, the stone still raised to her eye for a second before lowering it again.
"Do you know anyone named Gorriamand?" she asked, fixing him with a curious look.  "What about Tybur, do you know that name?  What do you remember him being like?"


OOC: Taking a peek at both the man on the floor and the Captain through the clear stone too, just in case there's anything unusual to be seen.
Yeah, I was thinking either I'd missed something somewhere or the Captain just got his memories altered somehow.  Had too much offline activity with too little sleep lately, so I hadn't completely ruled out the missing something theory yet. ;)

Soosha looks closer, then steps further away, then looks closer again. She looks to Nym. "Can...can I put my hand inside to touch the tree?"



Meanwhile, downstairs The Captain seemed to struggle to understand. "So the light moves the ship? Except it doesn't? That does sound magical, but... I'm not sure what to make of it. Or how to ...drive with it?"

The Captain seemed happy to move on, butconfused with the new line of questions. He looks to Farren as if for confirmtion of them. "Tybur... was the man we were just talking about. The...the one you're calling a vampire? The...the one who helped me make the ship go with light? Remmeber? I don't know this Gorriamand. Sounds familiar though. There was a Gerrymandering Road in the port I met Tybur at..." The Captain then focused, adjusted his hat briefly as if for reassurance, and then went on to describe the vampire Meri had briefly seen, including the oddly shimmering robe 'Tybur' had worn.

"No!" said the man on the floor, more clearly. "That's my robe! No,I mean my grandfather's robe. Well, my grandfather's grandfather. People thought mygrandfather mad, but he was just keeping it and keeping the faith, because he'd felt so sorry I think for his own grandfather, who was mad. I...I didn't really keep things going well. And then there was the fire a few years ago, and I lost all the journals, and the robe was damaged. And then a month ago, Gorriamund appeared! Well, not appeared, I suppose he'd always lived on the house in the hill, alone. But he sought me out! And said that his family had known of my own family, my grandfather and my grandfather's grandfather! And that Gorriamand had found some very old textin his family's library, that might finally show that theywere all right! And... and Ialmost wept when I told him how I'd lost faith, that I'd neverhad the faith, that even my grandfather never really had the faith. And that I'd lost everything. And gorriamand seemed angry at that, but then I showed him the broken old robe, and...and he made it like new! It shimmered! Like the mad ramblings inthe journals had said! And... ah... and I think I went with Gorriamand? To the library. Or we went to a boat. Or an inn. I... it's a little fuzzy now."

Tybur then squirmed at the light. "I remember someone made me look at the light. They were happy, but then when they were annoyedabout something, they forced me to lookat the light. And the light wanted me to think about sad things... It made my stomach lurch. Really lurch..."

[Private to Meri: Neither man looks odd in the clear stone. The only odd things is that through the clear stone, the light does not really appear to illuminate anything. It's as if the light is merely sharing its perceptions of things in the room, not truly illuminating the room.

Oh, and here's a thought - what if the light wants happy thoughts to lift up, and sad thoughts to drop down? Hence why curiosity wouldn't be much use... :D]

Farren grumbled then spoke up. "Let me venture a theory. Let's pretend there's an old vampire in his family home that's lived long enough to know quite a few generations back. Maybe he's come to know some legend from the people around - or one person in particular, a mad man, or maybe he's the cause of the madman'sknowledge in the first place. I'd say the first, because of a special robe apparently. And so, when the time comes for all these weird acolytes to step up, in some form of contest, this vampire takes out one of the competition and steals their identity. I'm going to assume partially to trick people like you, Meri, and partially because his real name might be a little too known. Like a 'family' name of a house on a hill, with a road named after them in a port?"

"Gorriamand Road! That was it, yes!" confirms the Captain, happily. "Named after The house on Gorriamand Hill. I remmeber now!" The Captain looks embarrassed, then confused. "So, sorry, what's this got to do with my ship?"


[Private to Meri: Feel free to ask in PM about what exactly the history is here, if multiple NPCs and the longer time of this unfolding / you being busy is making it confusing.  ]

Nym giggles.

"Alright." she says, leaning closer and holding the pocket open. "But...it's just a tree. Inside my pocket. But it just feels like a tree. So don't be disappointed if you were expecting it to feel...I don't know...weird, or...something..."

Meri peered at the Captain as if uncertain of what he was saying.
"Just that a moment ago you sounded as if you meant someone else when you talked about Tybur.  Since I couldn't even see him at first, I have to consider the possibility he can erase himself from the perceptions of others in more ways than one.  I believe he is the follower of a deity or demon that likes to use misdirection in a big way."

She glanced back at the light.
"As for what this has to do with your ship, I doubt he gave it the ability to fly out of the goodness of his heart.  I'm certain he had some personal reason for it.  He knew what was coming, what was going to happen.  He had time to prepare, to choose what he was going to do with that opportunity, and he chose to do this.  I can't help wondering why."

Soosha seems excited, and wit hthe utmost respect stands on her tiptoesand tries to rummage in Nym's pocket to reach the tree. After a few false starts, he tries to arrange herself such that she can seewhere she is reaching.

"I can't reach it! It like a tiny tree I can pick up, but when I try to reach it, I can't rech it! It's long way away. Or my hand is big. You have a world in your pocket!" Soosha sounds suitably impressed.

I'm not saying you will always be immune to pickpocketing, but in this case she can't actually get to anything in Meri's backpack on the trees, nor the tree. :)


"Misdirection? Lies? About who someone is? That sounds...terrible..." says The Captain, suddenly sounding very miserable.

Farren gives The Captain a look for a moment, before addressing Meri. "So, why would someone need a boat?" For once, The Captain didn't respond to Farren, and Farren continued. "I suppose to carry something on the sea or overseas, if they didn't realise they would get the effect they would get? Perhaps they only wished to create an effect that might lure others who could feel the same effects? Hmm, if they were being deliberate, I still say carrying something. Something large. Or perhaps traveling to a place that would otherwise be harder to travel to with only one mode of transport. But when you are personally able to fly, as he seemed to, then it feels like he needed the bulk of a ship. Or its ability to travel great distances."

Nym giggles again.

"Yes, it's a bit strange, isn't it?" she says. "Well, it seems that way, but I suppose it's not - it's just magic, after all, and magic can do anything so really, we shouldn't ever be surprised by what it can do..."

"Not just on the sea I'd think" replied Meri.  "Otherwise there would be no need to make the ship fly.  I suppose the only way we'll find out is to track down Ty... whatever his name is, and find a way to make him talk.  For now though, we may as well just continue on as we were."

She looked down at the clear stone for a moment then placed it back into her pack, once again going surprisingly deep into the interior.
"Can someone check if the folks below are intending to come too?" she asked.


OOC: Mustn't forget about the probably-confused NPCs we left on the ground, right? :)

[Private to The Altweaver: Not sure if Meri returning the clear stone to its secret hiding place in there would be visible to the gnomin peering into Nym's pockets or not.  For now I'm imagining Meri is distracted enough by weird magical light and strange vampire chew-toy guy to check for anyone snooping in her pack...]

Soosha's eyes are wide at how casually Nym is regarding her magic. She carefully backs away, and whispers to Tithee, who is still trying to compare different spheres to the overly helpful Many. "Hadar," whispers Soosha. Tithee looks around as if not knowing where to look. Soosha rolls their eyes, then sidles forwards again.

"Can I show you how we turn the ship around?" the gnomin asks reverently and with obvious excitement and trepidation.

Lol, magic can do everything.... if you're powerful enough :p


"I think Gorriamand is most likely," replies Farren, "and if not, I suspect his true name is so old that he's long since rubbed the edges from it pretending to be Gorriamand. It's as good a name as any."

Farren hen considers the matter of those down below. "Those down below were already hesitant regarding coming up. Do we really want to tell them to come up when for the moment we can't control this thing? If we can't we can't stay, and if we can then we can lower it to load everyone and the wagons with ease."

Farren looked to Tybur on the floor, then the light itself. "So, it sounds as if both Gorriamand and Tybur here have used this light to do...something." Tybur on the ground suddenly whimpered and pulled back in to the corner. Farren sighed. "I would not suggest asking him to do anything. It sounds as if it might need memories to work. If so, would I be the worst or best person to try it?"

Farren looked to Meri for her opinion. "If not, do you want to risk trying it? Or should we get Nym? The light looked for bad memories in Tybur, by the sounds of it. Or this Gorriamand was using Tybur for his bad memories. Nym seems quite immune to having to confront bad memories, wouldn't you agree?" Farren said it lightly but looked to Meri meaningfully.


Yeah, those NPCs can stand around and whine about following you two, despite how much you've helped them, and then they'll be sorry when you drop a boat on them :p

Nym gives Soosha a look that is both eager and curious.

"Oh, do you need to turn the ship around right now?" she asks. "Oh, there's still people down below, by the way. They're nice. One of them made yummy food. Well, I helped a bit, but it was mostly her. I just kind of...warmed it up a bit afer some of it went on the floor. Um. But maybe we should see what they want to do before we try and fly away? There's some horsies too...and a nice man who's friends with them as well."

I realise "turn the ship around" isn't quite the same as "fly away and leave all the people behind", but Nym is just making sure ;).

"Well, they say happy thoughts are uplifting" remarked Meri.  "Maybe happy memories have the same effect.  Or perhaps it's just pure willpower.  If bad memories make the ship drop, probably better I shouldn't try it, otherwise we'd end up underground!"

She pondered the question about Nym for a moment, swapping a meaningful look with Timur.
"I don't know what memories Nym has" she replied, lowering her voice and moving away from her pack as if wary of any chance of an echo of her words passing through the linked gates between them.

"It's hard to get much in the way of stories of the past out of her.  She seems to suffer occasional memory lapses, usually when her inner magic flares up.  So far I've seen it as a good thing, it helps her easily forget how we've dealt with threats we've encountered so far.  Between that, and something the Shadow told me, I can't help wondering what she's seen and done before we met, while at the same time I'm concerned about what could happen if I make her remember those things."


OOC: Meri's innermost thoughts about Nym revealed? :)

Soosha shakes her head. "No, not have to. Not go anywhere. Justturn ship around on the spot. Show you our magic." She paused for a moment. "Maybe ones down below watch out for ropes moving."

Soosha's eyes go wide atthe mention of horses. "Are they tiny? Are they in your pocket?" She tried to look for them. "Or are they big? Can you float them up here? With you magic?"


Down below, Farren lookeda little concerned, though he had nodded about . "Well, perhaps we should not be trying to let some unknown light stir around in Nym's head then. Perhaps her happy memories are just hiding something else..."Farren did not seem at all pleased. "Many seems like a happy little being, and you know all his memories. However, I don't imagine you would want to risk him." Farren looked to the light. "So should I try? I don't recall any memorieseccept recent ones, other than the one of the Raven Queen which is by no means a bad one."

Yeah, perhaps a good worry to have about Nym :p

Nym giggles at Soosha's questions about the horses.

"No, they're umm...horsey-sized horsies." she says. "They're down below, with the people. Well, some of them are - I think the rest ran away. Or did we get them all back? Hmm, I can't remember now. They ran away, you see. But I can't float them up here - my magic doen't really do that. Many can float things..."

She looks around for the little beholder and gestures in his direction.

"But so far it's only little things. I think a horse might be too big, and it migh be difficult to explain to the horsey what was about to happen. But maybe one day he'll be able to make big things like that float in the air!"

"If you like" replied Meri, "though probably best to ask the Captain if he's ok with it.  Also do we abandon the people on the ground.  If they want to come with us that is.  I'll go check with them."

With that she picked up her pack and slung it back onto her shoulders, heading out of the door.
She paused a moment in the doorway and looked back at the Captain.
"Don't worry, I can probably repair that lock" she added, as an afterthought, then headed up onto the deck.


OOC: So, going to go up and try climbing back down one of the ropes.  Really hope they hold off on moving the ship for a bit :)
Athletics roll if needed: 8 (4 + 4) - Meri is probably wishing she'd stayed at home, where rope climbing is not required! ;)